For the HSFY General pathway, students admitted to Otago Medicine have had GPAs roughly between 89 and 99 since 2022. In the most recent 2026 intake the range was 93.14 to 99.00. There is no fixed cut-off published in advance, because the threshold moves every year with the strength of the applicant pool.
The numbers, year by year
These are the GPA ranges of successful General-pathway applicants, alongside how many General-pathway offers were made:
- 2022: 93.00 to 99.14, with 104 General offers
- 2023: 89.43 to 98.43, with 132 General offers
- 2024: 89.57 to 98.71, with 138 General offers
- 2025: 89.29 to 99.00, with 132 General offers
- 2026: 93.14 to 99.00, with 118 General offers
General pathway is only part of the intake
This is the bit that confuses people. The General pathway sits inside a much larger total intake for the MB ChB programme, which also includes other admission categories. The totals look like this:
- 2022: 1,003 applications, 293 admissions
- 2023: 928 applications, 289 admissions
- 2024: 960 applications, 322 admissions
- 2025: 943 applications, 338 admissions
- 2026: 1,141 applications, 347 admissions
So while total admissions have grown from 293 to 347, General-pathway offers have stayed roughly in the 104 to 138 band. Applications jumped noticeably in 2026, to 1,141. More applicants for a similar number of General places is why the bottom of the range moved back up to 93.14.
What this means for you
Three things to take from it:
- Do not aim for the bottom of the range. The lowest successful GPA in a year is whoever only just made it, so aim well clear of it.
- The threshold moves. Between 2023 and 2026 the bottom of the range swung by nearly four GPA points. Planning your year around last year's lowest number is risky.
- GPA is what ranks you. You also have to clear Otago's UCAT thresholds, but after that the UCAT is given no weight, and there is no interview in the HSFY category. Once you meet the entry criteria, your academic score decides it.
Where the GPA comes from
Your GPA is the average of your best seven papers, out of your seven HSFY papers plus your eighth paper if you take one. That means every paper can count, including the ones students treat as an afterthought. A weak result in one paper is surprisingly expensive when the difference between the middle and the top of that range is a couple of points.
If you want to work on the papers that make up that GPA, you can practise exam-style questions for each one on Cutline: CHEM191, HUBS191, CELS191 and PHSI191 are free to start.
